Similar tactics in painkiller thefts

With no clear surveillance camera photos of the robber, Costa Mesa police are waiting for more clues in a series of robberies of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, authorities said Thursday.

"There's no face, just a black hood" in the surveillance images, Sgt. Marty Carver said. Until more information comes in, "we really are stuck right now."

A robbery on Sunday in which a slim man in his 20s wearing dark clothes and a black cap held up the Rite-Aid pharmacy at 2300 Harbor Blvd. was the third such incident in February.

Using a threatening note and a gun in his waistband, he demanded the powerful and addictive painkiller, which can fetch up to $80 per pill on the street. After he received it, he left, just as a similarly described robber did on Feb. 3 at the Rite Aid at 3029 Harbor Blvd. A man of that description did the same Feb. 2 but left before receiving the drug. Police believe one man likely committed all three crimes, Carver said.

The proliferation of 24-hour pharmacies has made such crimes easier because criminals can rob them in the late hours, much like convenience stores, Carver said.

"They usually have a minimum number of employees working at that time," he said. "And crooks aren't exactly early risers."

Costa Mesa police are aware of similar robberies in nearby cities, Carver said. Huntington Beach reported two such robberies at CVS pharmacies since Jan. 17, and Huntington Beach police Det. Jim Allard said this week that he believes there may be a connection to Costa Mesa.

Carver said he is confident a tip will come in.

"You don't hit this many places in such a short time without getting caught," he said. "We hope somebody saw it or knows this guy."

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call Costa Mesa Det. Dana Potts at (714) 754-5363.